Shared Common Services: Treatment Plant and Substation

In super-condominiums the services common to several buildings, such as a water treatment plant, an electrical substation, a shared water or sewage system, are often the main source of both expense and conflict. They are typical assets of the complex under Article 1117 bis of the Italian Civil Code, which extends condominium rules to parts common to several buildings. Sound management starts with identifying ownership and continues with an orderly sharing of expenses under Article 1123.

Which services are common to the whole complex

Common to several buildings are the services that, by structure or purpose, serve them all or at least more than one. The typical case is centralised systems placed upstream of the branches to the individual buildings. Classification depends on the asset's actual function, not on its physical location in a single building.

• Water treatment plant serving several buildings.
• Electrical transformer substation powering the whole complex.
• Centralised water system or booster pump upstream of the individual buildings' networks.
• Sewage network and collectors common to several buildings.
• A single heating plant serving several buildings.

Identifying ownership

Before sharing expenses you must establish who owns the service. A system serving only some buildings is not common to all: it creates co-ownership limited to those who use it. A treatment plant serving the whole complex, on the other hand, is common to every building. Ownership determines who takes part in the expenses and with what share, and is the first step to avoid wrong charges.

In doubtful cases it is best to reconstruct the asset's actual purpose from the deeds, the system drawings and real use, because it is the common-service function, not mere location, that classifies the service as common to the complex.

Sharing expenses under Article 1123

Article 1123 sets the criteria: expenses for upkeep and enjoyment are shared in proportion to the value of the units; when a service is meant to serve the buildings unequally, expenses are shared in proportion to use; if a system serves only some buildings, the cost falls only on those. For metered systems, such as water or heating, actual measurement allows a fairer split.

The super-condominium's thousandths (millesimi) tables turn these criteria into shares. Good practice keeps separate tables for the different services, because not all serve the buildings equally: the treatment plant table can differ from the substation table.

Who decides on maintenance

Ordinary maintenance of the common services falls within the super-condominium manager's remit and is resolved by the meeting with ordinary majorities. Extraordinary maintenance and improvements instead require higher majorities, under the rules specific to those matters. The line between ordinary and extraordinary is often at the centre of disputes, so it must be reasoned carefully.

For major works on the common systems, such as rebuilding the treatment plant or upgrading the substation, the meeting must weigh quotes, timescales and sharing criteria, recording the choices in the minutes.

Safety and technical obligations

Systems common to several buildings are subject to the safety obligations and technical requirements set by the relevant regulations, from periodic checks to keeping documentation. The super-condominium manager must ensure the systems comply and that checks are carried out and recorded, because responsibility for maintenance rests with the common management.

The most common mistakes

• Sharing a system's expenses among all buildings when it serves only some.
• Using a single table for services with different use across the buildings.
• Confusing ordinary and extraordinary maintenance and getting the majorities wrong.
• Neglecting safety checks and the systems' technical documentation.

Managing common services with software

Management software lets you link each common service to its own table and accounts, sharing expenses only among the buildings that use it and tracking maintenance and checks. AmministraPro manages structures with several buildings and multiple tables and produces separate statements for condominium and super-condominium, so every common service stays clear and verifiable. You can see how it works on the features page or compare the plans in the pricing section.